REDMOND, Wash. — Oct. 30, 2012 — As the U.S. approaches one of the most hotly contested political seasons in decades, Bing has launched a new election experience at bing.com/elections that is tailored for those who want a 360-degree view into Election 2012 — including the latest news from the right, left and center perspective, up-to-date polls across national, state and local races, analysis of social conversation across Facebook and Twitter, a tracker to find the nearest polling sites, and up-to-the-minute results on Election Day.
Nearly 75 percent of people identify themselves as active participants or observers in online political discussions, according to a recent Bing survey, but many are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, news sources and sites out there. Bing Elections helps cut through the clutter and follows the pulse of the election easily, across both comprehensive news sources and social networks.
Powered by Bing search technology and combined with editorial excellence from MSN and political partnerships with Politico, Real Clear Politics, The Cook Political Report, Huffington Post and The Associated Press, bing.com/elections gives those interested in politics a new place to plug into what’s happening in Election 2012. With coverage, polls and predictions of every race and candidate down to the state and congressional level, as well an exclusive analysis each day from Politico and its candidate tracker, Bing Elections is constantly updated so you don’t miss a thing.
“We launched the Bing Election hub to address an unmet customer need — providing a single, comprehensive place to go for elections news, results, and highlights and analysis of what’s happening across Facebook and Twitter,” said Mike Nichols, corporate vice president, Bing. “Whether you’re doing research to inform your vote, want to stay in the know on the latest news and social media developments, or are looking for a great Web experience to complement your TV viewing, bing.com/elections is the place to go.”
Bing’s strategic partnerships with Facebook, Twitter and other social networks will allow visitors to not only follow trending topics but see frequently updated social sentiment scores to understand what’s being said online this election season.
In addition, voters uncertain of their polling places can use Bing Elections to find out where to go vote, as well as experience exclusive videos from Chelsea Clinton and Mary Ann Huntsman urging everyone to get off the couch and vote in this critical election.
What Does It Offer?
An easy-to-use, up-to-the-minute comprehensive resource for national and local news information and analysis:
• A dynamic, interactive map with national and local election results as they are reported.
• Easy access to national and local election information.
• Local voting information and key election issues.
The latest election coverage from across the Web, customized to your preferences:
• Real-time algorithmic news results sourced from key national, local, partisan and nonpartisan sources, including The Associated Press, Real Clear Politics and Huffington Post, among others.
• The ability to easily filter news results from left-leaning and right-leaning news sources.
A pulse on the social insights and trends from Facebook and Twitter:
• Bing is the only search engine with strategic partnerships with Twitter and Facebook to deliver unique social sentiment analysis across key election issues.
• 89 percent of people report their social media consumption relating to this year’s election as equal to or more than 2008, and the Bing Election hub helps them easily find and participate in trending conversations that matter most.
Bing Elections will also be featured as part of a new advertisement launching on network and cable TV starting on Nov. 4 and running until post-election. The new spot can be viewed on the Bing blog and features Bing taking it to the streets to stump some political junkies and share how Bing Elections can help.
Visit bing.com/elections to join the conversation and to see another reason for people to choose Bing over Google.
About the Research
The Bing Election hub research was based on a survey by Impulse Research, an independent research company based in Los Angeles, Calif. The survey was conducted in October 2012 online with a random sample of 1,005 men and women, ages 18 to 34, who use the Internet for information on a regular basis — all members of the Impulse Research proprietary online panel. The Impulse Research proprietary online panel has been carefully selected to closely match U.S. population demographics, and the respondents are representative of American men and women, ages 18 to 34. Learn more in our Bing blog post.
About Bing
Bing is the search engine from Microsoft, designed for people who do. For people like you who are always doing more and don’t have time to sit still. Now, only Bing brings together the best search and the best people from your social networks, like Facebook and Twitter, to help you spend less time searching and more time doing. So whether you’re on your PC or on your phone, Bing is designed not just to connect you to the information you are looking for, but also to help you get things done right on Bing.com.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.